Mentoring creates value-building careers
Companies have learned that connecting leaders with talented workers is one of the best ways to attract, retain and develop top performers.
This is the opinion of Bert Thornton and Sherry Hartnett, authors of HighImpact Mentoring: A Practical Guide to Creating Value in Other People’s Lives.
The authors offer job hunters the following seven insights and tips for climbing the career ladder.
1. Mentoring shouldn’t be compulsory.
While mentoring is a proven, timetested career strategy for climbing the organizational ladder, it’s not for everyone. Along with having knowledge and experience in their field, good mentors must want to invest their time and energy into their relationships with mentees.
2. Mentors gain as much from the relationship as mentees.
Even though mentors are seen as the providers of knowledge, experienced mentors say they learn as much as they teach — through introspection, sharing cuttingedge information, and from mentees themselves. They are encouraged and motivated to achieve their best because they know the mentee is watching. Thornton and Hartnett said: “Mentoring relationships often last a lifetime. They transcend business and can be incredibly rewarding on a personal level.”
3. A good mentor develops the whole person, not just the employee .
Along with having knowledge and experience in their field, good mentors must want to invest their time and energy into their relationships with mentees.
The authors coach mentees on the “Eight Great Social Tells,” which are attitude, energy, appearance, command of the language, engagement, conversational bearing, demeanor, and body language.
“Mentees need to give others a positive impression in all eight of these areas to be successful,” say the authors. “Often, one or more of these social characteristics needs to be shored up and is an obvious place to start the mentoring process.”
4. Good mentors never stop learning.
They “know what they don’t know” and see their own education and personal development as works in progress,” according to the authors. “They consistently
consume an impactful list of books, articles, podcasts, websites, videos, etc. (Also, this reading and listening list is indispensable when offering selfdevelopment advice to mentees.”
5. Mentees can’t be passive. Thornton and Hartnett tell new mentees, “You can’t expect others to invest time in your development if you aren’t willing to do so yourself.” They go on to first ask them to create a self-development plan that includes a candid look at their strengths and weaknesses; a solid plan for selfimprovement (including a reading list, educational classes, skill development, etc.); and a reality check on what they need, want, and hope to avoid in the future.
6. “Jumping in” doesn’t work, stress the authors.
A mentor’s first task is not to hand out advice and dispense wisdom, but to get to know the mentee, say the authors. It means taking the time to learn about their talents, goals, weak points, background and personality. Understanding mentees ensures that:
• Mentor and mentee are a good fit; • The mentor understands the mentee’s motivation, and
• The mentor is equipped to meet the mentee’s needs. 7. A study, learn list can help keep mentees on track. A reliable mentor doesn’t take their relationship with their mentees casually. They focus on where their need is and continue to expand the relationship. The authors suggest mentors develop a “Learn List” detailing and explaining what mentees need to learn immediately, over the next month and over the next 12 months.
This might involve projection and deportment, inspiration, education, motivation, technical knowledge and contacts/networking.